October 23, 2015
The Search for a Druggable Target: Assessing the Role of NDR2 in KRAS-Dependent Pancreatic Carcinoma
Cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Although pancreatic carcinoma is classified as rare, it makes up for about 7% of all cancer deaths. Currently, there is no cure for pancreatic carcinoma, or any other kinds of cancer, but across the globe tens of thousands of researchers dedicate their studies to the search for an end to the disease. A large portion of this research studies mutations in specific genes, or oncogenes, involved in cell growth pathways. One of these oncogenes, mutated in about 70% of all pancreatic cancers, is KRAS. Although a major link has been found between KRAS and pancreatic cancer, it is currently not a "druggable" target due to the nature of the protein itself. However, NDR2, a gene in close proximity to KRAS, does hold promise as a druggable target. This summer at the Boston University Laboratory of Cancer Pharmacogenomics, I studied the role of the kinase NDR2 through techniques including tumor cell culture, western blotting, and both brightfield and fluorescence microscopy in order to determine its role in KRAS-dependent pancreatic carcinoma in hopes of defining a druggable target as a step towards the cure for cancer.
Explore the MHC Social Universe >